The Airbus A320 set its manufacturer on the path to becoming the world’s largest aircraft producer. Crisscrossing continents since the late 1980s, the single-aisle jet boasts advanced aviation controls such as joystick steering and a choice of engines from competing manufacturers that have made it an industry favorite alongside the Boeing 737, bringing in the bulk of orders and profit at the European aerospace giant.
Now, Airbus SE is studying a new airliner that could eclipse the three-decade-old A320. A stretched version of its smaller A220 jet, the model would accommodate about the same number of passengers as the 170-capacity A320, but with better fuel economy and more modern design specifications, while allowing the company to sidestep the huge investments needed for an all-new aircraft.
Pushing into the niche occupied by the A320 and the 737, the A220-500 would give Airbus an opportunity to take market share at a time when Boeing Co. has said it won’t come out with an all-new jet model for the rest of this decade. Boeing will wait until there’s a “generational leap” in technology that would provide fuel savings of 20% to 30% versus current narrowbody jets, Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun said at its April 18 annual meeting. That timeline might give Airbus a chance to build sales momentum for a stretched A220 version in the next few years. “Whereas Boeing may be forced to develop something new, Airbus can keep harvesting its current offering,” says Addison Schonland, an analyst at aviation consultant AirInsight. “They lose nothing.”
